wretched

Wretched is an English adjective used to describe extreme unhappiness or misery, as well as conditions or objects of very poor quality or standard. It commonly applies to people who are suffering or distressed, to circumstances that are pitiable or unfortunate, and to things that are considered deplorable or inferior. The term often carries moral or evaluative overtones, signaling disapproval or condemnation in addition to the sense of suffering or deficiency.

Usage and nuance: Wretched carries strong negative connotations and is more emphatic than many synonyms for “unhappy” or “bad.” It is frequently found in literary, religious, or rhetorical contexts, but it also appears in everyday speech for emphasis. In modern casual usage, milder terms such as miserable or awful may replace it, though wretched remains common in phrases like “wretched weather,” “wretched living conditions,” or “wretched luck” to convey intensified negativity.

Etymology: The adjective derives from the noun wretch, with the suffix -ed forming an adjective. The noun wretch itself comes from Old English wrecca or a related term meaning an outcast or persecuted person. Over time, the sense broadened from describing a person to describing states, conditions, or things that are miserable or defective. Related forms include wretchedness and archaic or regional derivatives.

See also: wretch, wretchedness, wretching.